Just what concrete vapor barrier?

A concrete vapor barrier is any material that forestalls moisture from entering a concrete slab. Vapor barriers are utilized because while fresh concrete flows wet, it’s not likely to stay this way. It needs to dry after which stay dry to avoid flooring problems.

If you’ve ever endured a problem with a basement floor (or any concrete floor), you understand the sort of damage that too much moisture may cause. Moisture enters concrete in many different ways, including through the ground, from humidity in the air, and through leaky plumbing that passes through a slab. Naturally, there’s also the moisture that’s in the original concrete mixture.

There’s only one-way moisture leaves concrete, though, and that’s via its surface. For those who have a concrete floor that’s in continuous exposure to a resource of moisture, you’re going to have issues. That is why a vapor barrier under concrete is crucial. Vapor barriers are a good way to hold moisture from getting yourself into the concrete.

Note: A vapor barrier is not the just like an underlayment. However, you can find underlayments that act as vapor barriers.

Vapor barrier permeability is expressed in perms.

Vapor barriers have varying numbers of permeability, expressed in perms. The higher the number, the more permeable the information. Impermeable vapor barriers are the type having a rating of 0.1 perm or fewer while class II vapor retarders are those having a rating higher than 0.1 perm and fewer than 1.0 perm.

You’ll hear people while using the terms ‘vapor barrier’ and ‘vapor retarder’ interchangeably. However, strictly speaking, they aren’t the same thing. Vapor barriers are less permeable than vapor retarders. In the following paragraphs, we are using the term ‘vapor barrier’.

Why’s a lot of moisture in concrete an issue?

One word: adhesives. An excessive amount of moisture in concrete is a concern since it may cause pH changes that destroy adhesives. Here’s what happens.

As moisture makes its approach to the top of a concrete slab, soluble alkalies arrive for that ride and lift its surface pH above those of flooring adhesives. This causes the adhesives to breakdown and you also end up having flooring failures such as swelling, bulging, or cupping.

Do you want a vapor barrier with a concrete slab?

In short, yes. Here’s why.

There’s typically water underneath a structure site. It might not be at the surface, however that doesn’t mean it’s not there. This water can progress from the soil and are avalable into exposure to the foot of a concrete floor via capillary action. Capillary action could be stopped by using something known as a capillary break, a layer of crushed rock that goes between your subgrade and also the slab.

Capillary breaks do a good job of stopping water rolling around in its liquid state from reaching a slab. However, they can’t stop water in vapor form from reaching and entering a concrete slab. Therefore, there needs to be something underneath the slab that prevents vapor moisture from entering.

There is also a vapor barrier for liability reasons because most manufacturers of flooring include vapor barriers or retarders within their installation guidelines.

How thick should a plastic vapor barrier be?

According to the Help guide to Concrete Floor and Slab Construction published by the American Concrete Institute, a vapor retarder should not be lower than 10 mils thick. You might need a much thicker barrier though if you’re covering material with sharp angles.

Net profit: Vapor barriers must be sufficiently strong so they really don’t easily puncture. When they do, moisture is certain to get in and that’s what you’re attempting to keep out.

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